The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)

Many people find the Disability Discrimination Act daunting. However, it is very important that you understand the requirements that this legislation places upon you and your organisation.

Here is a link to the full act: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1995/1995050.htm

Although it may appear long and complicated, it has been split into useful sections such as the Meaning of "discrimination" and the Duty of providers of services to make adjustments. Part 3, in particular, relates to goods, facilities and services.

Reasonable Adjustments

The DDA states that it is unlawful for service providers to discriminate against a disabled person "in the standard of service which he provides to the disabled person or the manner in which he provides it to him". Service providers are required to make "reasonable adjustments" for disabled people.

This means that, although you don't legally have to produce Braille and other alternative formats, your information must be accessible to visually impaired customers in some way. For example, a member of staff could read the information to the customer. However, alternative formats such as Braille provide a positive, customer-focused method of meeting the legal requirements.

For more information about the law, see www.disability.gov.uk

Cases brought under DDA

Here is a link to the Disability Rights Commission website and some of the cases that have been brought under the DDA. http://www.drc-gb.org/the_law/drc_legal_cases.aspx.

These cases may help you understand how courts and tribunals have interpreted the DDA, and how this may affect you and your organisation. These cases also show the positive impact access improvements can make to peoples lives.